Ice cream cartons



April 14, 1970 B. BARNES 3,506,184

- ICE CREAM GAR'IONS Filed Sept. 20, 1968 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. BAYARD I. BARNES BY p :Az/M 4 ATTYS.

A ril 14, 1970 B. LEARNES 3,506,18

ICE CREAM CARTONS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 20, 1968 INVENTOR. 'BA YARD I. BARNES ATTYS.

United States Patent C) 3,506,184 ICE CREAM CARTONS Bayard I. Barnes, Oakland, Calif., assignor to The Finn Industries, Inc., Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Filed Sept. 20, 1968, Ser. No. 761,172 Int. Cl. B65d 65/14, /02

US. Cl. 22951 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to a carton, and particularly relates to a carton for ice cream or the like in which the opposite end flaps of the carton are provided with means which lead to an improved selective sealing procedure following a non-selective application of bonding material to the inside of the end closure flaps.

A popular carton for ice cream is one which has a reclosable lid, that is, a top panel is hinged along a score line to a back panel. The lid has a front depending closure flap which is usually secured by bonding materials to the front panel and which lid is openable by tearing a weakened or rupturable strip portion along the depending closure flap. The opposite ends of such cartons have a pair of top and bottom end flaps and a pair of side flaps, usually overlapping. Such cartons are coated with a barrier film when used to hold ice cream or the like, and such coating is interrupted in various areas, principally along the opposite end flaps, so that bonding material may be u'sed to form a seal between such contacting or engaging uncoated areas. In many embodiments the coating or film barrier is a wax or waxbased material, although other materials may be used, such as polyethylene.

It is required that an effective seal be provided so that the carton may operate for its intended purposes. The art generally provides a hot-melt bonding material for such a seal because of recognized advantages which characterize such bonding materials. In general, such hot-melt is spot-deposited and, accordingly, limited bonding areas are only provided for effecting such a seal at the opposite end flaps. Such hot-melt must be selectively applied or deposited at prescribed bonding sites or areas. It would be desirable to provide a carton which allows an improved disposition of bonding material on the end flaps to lead to a better sealing technique.

It is, accordingly, one object of the present invention to provide a carton having opposite end flaps having bonding areas which advantageously lead to selective sealing with non-selectively applied bonding material.

Another important object of the invention is a carton for ice cream or the like which has a reclosable lid, and which is coated except for improved dispositions of bonding area on different sides of the end closure flaps so that hot-melt bonding material may be applied non-selectively in a substantially continuous line to provide a better sealing technique.

Yet another important object of the invention is to provide a carton in which hot-melt bonding material may be used in a more effective and improved way by being non-selectively applied as a plurality of discrete and aligned deposits on end flaps to attain eflicient sealing of the carton ends.

Objects such as the foregoing are attained together with still other objects which will occur, from time to time, by considering the following disclosure, including drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an assembled carton which incorporates the improvements of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an outside plan view of the carton blank used to form the carton of FIG. 1, said blank being on a slightly smaller scale;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2, but showing the inside of the carton blank;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the folded carton which has been erected prior to closing the opposite end flaps;

FIG. 5 is a view along section line 55 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view, in portion, showing one of the ends of the cartons at one stage of assembling the closure flaps;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 showing a later stage in assembling the closure flaps at the end of the carton; and

FIG. 8 is a view similar to FIGS. 6 and 7 showing one of the final stages of closing the end closure flaps of the carton.

Use of the same numerals in the various views will indicate a like reference to the same structures and parts.

The carton shown generally as 10 is four-sided with side panels 12, 14, 16 and 18. Such panels are defined by a plurality of crease lines 20, 22, 24, and 26. Side or front panel 18 has a top edge 28 which will be overlapped by closure flap 30 depending from side or top panel 12. The opposite sides of the panels 12-18 are defined or demarcated by a common crease line 32 on one side, and by another common crease line 34 on the other side.

Depending closure flap 30 is secured to the front panel 18, and is shown with an elongated rupturable strip 36 which includes a plurality of score lines or perforations such as 38. Other rupturable means may be provided, such as a perforated zipper strip, by which a lower portion of the depending closure flap is torn away.

The opposite sides of each of the four side panels have closure end flaps extending from crease lines 32, 34. Side end flaps 40 and 40a extend from opposite sides of front panel 18; and another pair of side end flaps 42 and 42a extend from opposite sides of back panel 14. Side end panels 42, 42a will overlap side end closure flaps 44 and 44a extending from bottom panel 16 on opposite sides of crease lines 32 and 34. Smaller side end closure flaps 46, 46a extend from opposite sides of top panel 12 along crease lines 32, 34. The foregoing pairs of end closure flaps are also shown as having generally rectangular configurations, except for side end closure flaps 42, 42a which are shown with rectangular extensions 48 and 48a. Such extensions result in an overall L-shaped configuration for these side end closure flaps.

The depending closure flap 30 has tabs 50 and 50a extending from opposite sides along crease lines 32, 34. These tabs cooperate withtop end flaps 46, 46a to form a continuous skirt portion of a reclosable lid which is hinged along crease line 22. The carton is preferably provided in a flat, folded form in which the under-side of margin 52 of depending closure flap 30 is secured by bonding material to an elongated bonding area 54 on the outside of front panel 18. The inside and outside of the carton is coated with a barrier film except for bonding area 54 and other bonding areas which provide sites for bonding material as will be described hereinafter. Such a barrier film is provided for protection of the contents and, often, for esthetic appearances. The film barriers considered herein are the type which would undesirably interfere with bonding.

Side closure flaps 40, 40a are shown with L-shaped bonding areas 56 and 56a on the outsides and side flaps 42, 42a are shown as also having L-shaped bonding areas 58 and 58a, as well as smaller spaced bonding areas 60 and 60a. Tabs 50, 50a are shown with generally rectangular bonding areas 62, 62a on the outsides. The inside of the carton, seen in FIG. 3, has a plurality of bonding areas 66, 66a on smaller side end closure flaps 46, 46a. Margin 52 of depending closure flap 30 is shown with elongated bonding area 52a, which area will register with elongated bonding area 54 on the front panel 18. Bonding material indicated as 66 in the view of FIG. is deposited at the site between bonding areas 54 and 52a.

The sealing of the end closure flaps is better seen from the views of FIGS. 4-8. A flat, folded carton may be erected by applying pressure to remotely opposite edges to become erected as seen in FIG. 4. The end closure flaps are seen as opened, but both ends of the carton are closed and sealed in the manner indicated in the views of FIGS. 68 which show only one of the carton ends. The top flaps 44 is a major flap since it extends beyond the midline of the carton height, whereas the bottom flap 46 is a minor flap which terminates short of such a midline.

Assuming that one end of the carton shown in FIGS. 6-8 has already been closed, and that the carton has been filled with contents such as ice cream, side closure flap 40 is folded to entirely close the open end of the carton. The L-shaped bonding area 56 of side closure flap 40 is shown on the outside thereof, Opposite side closure end flap 48 is then folded down in overlapping relationship with side closure flap 40, as seen in FIG. 7. It will be seen that L-shaped bonding area 58 on side closure flap 48 is complementary to L-shaped bonding area 56 on side closure flap 40 so that said bonding areas together form a characteristic rectangular bonding area configuration. Tab 50 is also folded down along crease line 32 until it contacts the outside of side closure flap 40. It is seen that bonding area 62 on tab 50 is generally aligned with spaced bonding area 60 on side closure flap 48.

Hot-melt bonding material may be used in an improved way with bonding areas, since such bonding material is applied non-selectively as parallel lines 70 and 72, shown extending to opposite free ends of bottom or major closure flap 44. The lines of bonding material are shown herein as discrete aligned spots or deposits such as 70a and 72a in the respective aligned rows. While such rows comprise a nonselective deposit, they lead to selective sealing with the prescribed bonding area sites. Rows 70 and 72 are positioned so that they will contact the rectangular bonding area formed by the L-shaped areas 56, 58 when bottom closure flap 44 is moved into contact with the overlapping side end closure flaps 40, 48.

Top or minor closure flap 66 is shown with a single line of bonding material 76 extending to the opposite free ends of such closure flap. The bonding material in this continuous line will selectively contact and seal aligned bonding area 60 on side closure flap 42, and bonding area 62 on tab 50. Tab 50 is preferably dimensioned so that the bottom edges 50b will be coextensive with the bottom edge 46b of top closure flap 46 when such flap is folded into sealing engagement. This coextensive relationship will result in an operable lid construction without incurring waste of materials. In the view of FIG. 8, the top closure end flap 46 is shown as the last flap to be folded into sealing engagement to complete the end closures, but such flaps may be closed simultaneously. The completely closed carton and carton end is seen in the perspective view of FIG. 1.

The continuos line of bonding material in one or a .4 plurality of generally parallel lines results in several advantages. A selective sealing relationship is obtained as between the bottom closure flap 44 and the bonding area formed by the L-shaped bonding areas 56, 58. In addition, such a continuous line of bonding material may be made by simplified means which do not require timed application, metered deposits, or other conditions requiring undesired control features. The advantageous nonselective application of such a continuous line of bonding materal leads to a positive sealing action even with interrupted bonding areas such as bonding area 60 on side closure flap 48 and bonding area 62 on locking tab 50.

What is claimed is:

1. A carton for ice cream or the like, said carton including,

four side panels,

a pair of end flaps associated with each side panel,

one end flap being on one side of the panel and another end flap of the pair being on the opposite side,

the pair of end flaps associated with each panel forming top, bottom, and overlapping side end flaps at each end in the erected carton,

said carton being coated on both sides except for bonding areas,

said bonding areas being on the insides of the top and bottom end flaps and the outsides of the overlapping side end flaps,

the bonding areas on the insides of the top and bottom end flaps having a continuous configuration between opposite free edges thereof so a substantially continuous line of bonding material may be nonselectively deposited thereon,

the bonding areas on the outside of each of said side end flaps including a complementary bonding area configuration so the overlapping side end flaps provide a substantially continuous bonding area for selective sealing with bonding areas at one of the top and bottom flaps, and

one of said side end flaps further including a bonding area spaced from said complementary bonding area so that the other of said top and bottom flaps may be selectively sealed to said spaced bonding area.

2. A carton as in claim 1 wherein one of the overlapping side end flaps is of a rectangular configuration, the other of said side end flaps is of an L-shaped configuration, said bonding area being present on said L-shaped side flap as an L-shaped bonding area, and on said rectangular side flap as another L-shaped bonding area, which L-shaped bonding areas are complementary to form a substantialy continuous rectangular bonding area when said side end flaps are closed to overlapping relationship.

3. A carton as in claim 1 wherein one of said side panels is a top panel operable as a recloseable lid, a closure flap depending from said top panel and adjoining a side panel, and bonding areas being present on the inside of the depending flap and the outside of the adjoining side panel to provide sites for bonding material to seal said depending closure flap to said adjoining side wall, a locking tab extending from each opposite side of the closure flap, said locking tabs adapted to be tucked under the top end flaps at the opposite ends of the carton, and the outsides of said locking tabs having bonding areas to be placed in contact with the continuous configuration bonding areas on the insides of the top flaps so that bonding material applied nonselectively to the insides of the top flaps may selectively seal said spaced bonding areas on said side end flaps and said bonding areas on the outsides of said locking tabs.

4. A carton as in claim 3 in which the bonding areas on the insides of the top and bottom end flaps include a nonselective and substantially continuous line of discrete bonding material deposits extending to the opposite free ends of said end flaps, and a substantially continuous line of bonding material on a bottom end flap bonding said flap to the complementary bonding areas on the overlapping side end flaps.

5. A carton as in claim 4 wherein the top end flaps are minor flaps terminating short of a midline between the top and bottom of the carton, the bottom end flaps are major flaps terminating above said midline to closely adjoin the terminating edge of the minor flaps, said bottom major flaps having at least two parallel substantially continuous lines of bonding material, and said top minor flaps having a single line of substantially continuous line of bonding material for selectively sealing said spaced bonding area and said locking tab bonding area.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2/1960 Pupke. 10/1966 Buttery. 

